The Tent Peg Trick That Could Save Your Life In A Camping Emergency

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Camping trips are a fun opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy spending some time in nature. There are plenty of DIY camping hacks to improve your outdoor adventures, and there are some items you absolutely want to pack for a quick and easy camping trip. But no matter how well you plan, things can go wrong. With that said, if you ever find yourself in the wilderness without a stove, there's a simple trick to create a cooking fire using a common piece of camping equipment — tent pegs.

As detailed by TKOR, you'll start by sticking three or four tent pegs into the ground in a triangular or circular shape, with the short spokes facing inwards. This will form a raised platform. While you only need to push the pegs a few inches into the ground for this to work, it's important that all the pegs are at the same level. Next, gather some kindling and start a small fire underneath the tent pegs.

Since tent pegs are metal, they won't burn in the fire or melt down like plastic or wood. You can use this setup as a makeshift stove. Just wait until the fire you've built has subsided and turned to coals before cooking a meal.

This tent peg camping hack allows you to use a stove anywhere, provided you can get a fire started. TKOR advises using tinfoil to make a bowl to boil water or placing a can of food directly on the tent pegs to cook. You may need to boil water to have a clean and safe drink or even to use it as a heat source in dangerously cold temperatures.

If you need a fire for cooking, this hack helps you safely create one. Of course, you don't need to be in an emergency to use this tip. If you're simply looking to save space or weight by not packing a camping stove, this is a practical way to utilize an alternative system.

Tent pegs are an affordable piece of equipment. A pack of four steel tent pegs retails at Walmart for under $4 — a real bargain, especially now that you know that they can serve practical purposes besides keeping your tent attached to the ground. In addition to remembering this campfire hack, don't forget these camping tips no one tells you about.